Shillinglaw Early Origins

The surname Shillinglaw was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Shillingford. This unusual name is easily explained by any tax collector at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book a census taken 1086 by Duke William of Normandy after his Conquest of England in 1066. Shillingford lands represented the annual tax payable to the King via his under-tenant. One shilling of taxes per year in those days meant a sizeable piece of land of many acres. The lands of Shillingford, originally called Selingforde in Devon were occupied by William Cheever at that time, who held his lands from Fulchere, a Norman noble. Conjecturally, the Shillingfords are descended from this Norman. The toll extracted from travelers for crossing the river Exe obviously related also to the person of Shillingworth, an abbreviation of Shillingworthy, hence, the surname Shillingworth is similarly from the same origin. Shillingworthy described a freeman, next in rank below the Lord of the Manor, who was a worthy, that is a person who had sole and indisputable possession of a means of income from a particular source, such as Mucksworthy, the most valuable commodity in this strictly agricultural community, where the right to graze in a pasture and the right to collect and sell the manure made anyone a rich man. To reinforce this statement of power, there also emerged the name Shillinglaw, a person who virtually wrote his own local rules about who and how much would be charged for this vital ford crossing of the River Exe to Exeter, one of the largest towns in England at the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, it having 300 King's houses.

Shillinglaw Spelling Variations

Shillinglaw Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sellingford, Shillingford, Shillingforde, Selingforde, Sellingforde, Shillingworth, Shillingworthy, Shillinglaw and many more.

Shillinglaw Early History

Shillinglaw Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shillinglaw research. Another 270 words (19 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Shillinglaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shillinglaw Early Notables (pre 1700)

Shillinglaw Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Shillinglaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Will Shillingford who settled in Jamaica in 1773.

Contemporary Notables of the name Shillinglaw (post 1700)

Contemporary Notables of the name Shillinglaw (post 1700)

Robert Shillinglaw (b. 1953), American lacrosse coach, head coach of the University of Delaware Mens Lacrosse team since 1978

Citations

Citations

Other References

Shaw, William A. Knights of England A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of all the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, Ireland and Knights Bachelors 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print. (ISBN 080630443X).

The Shillinglaw Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Shillinglaw Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.